Potter Family Christmas
by Blue Leah
Summary: Written for CoS's 2008 Holiday Advent Calendar. Christmas with Harry Potter and family.


"I'm putting Lily to bed," Ginny said after her family Floo'd home from the Burrow to the Potters' two-story house in Godric's Hollow. Her five-month-old daughter was asleep on her shoulder. "You put the boys to bed," she said to her husband.

"The sooner you're in bed, the sooner Christmas comes," Harry said to his two sons, James and Albus.

James and Albus had been pretty keyed up playing with their many cousins at their grandparents' place and were reluctant to have anything to do with anything related to sleep.

"We open pwesents now?" James asked eyeing the tree in the sitting room.

Albus nodded vigorously.

"You'll wait 'til morning. Now, off to bed." Harry lightly pushed his sons toward the stairs.

"Into your pajamas." Harry held out a pair of dark green footy pajamas for his youngest son to step into now they had finally made it into his room.

"No!"

"Yes."

"No!" Albus repeated standing on his new twin bed.

"You do as I say or you don't get any gifts tomorrow."

"Not tired," he declared.

"I don't care. Daddy is. Let's take off your clothes and put on your pajamas."

With a scowl, Albus sat down and allowed Harry to undress him. When it came time for the footies, he refused, tightening into a ball.

"Come on, Albus. It's too cold to sleep in your underpants."

He refused to move.

"Al honey, do it for Mummy." Ginny walked into the room and took the pajamas from Harry.

Albus gave her a toothy grin and politely allowed his mother to put the pajamas on him.

"We love you, Al," Ginny said after tucking him in, his eyelids already drooping closed. She leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

"Good night, Albus." Harry turned the light out and after Ginny exited the room, closed the door, leaving it slightly cracked.

"How do you do it?" Harry asked as they headed to James's room.

"Do what?"

"Get him to put on his pajamas."

"I'm the mum," she replied matter-of-factly stepping into her three-year-old son's room.

James was on the floor playing with his wizard action figures.

"Time for bed," Harry announced.

James ignored him and continued to play with his toys.

"James, would you like to wear your Snitch pajamas?" Ginny pulled a blue pants and shirt set with Golden Snitches all over out of a drawer in his dresser.

"Can I open one pwesent?" he asked stepping into the pants after taking off his other clothes.

"Save them for tomorrow. That's when the rest will arrive from your uncles," said Ginny.

After James climbed into bed and pulled the covers around him, Ginny kissed his forehead.

"Tell me a stowy," he requested.

Ginny sat down on the edge of the bed. Harry sat at the foot and rubbed James's feet, which were under the covers.

"Once upon a time there was a house-elf named,"

"Chibby," Harry supplied.

"Chibby," she repeated. "He reckoned he had the best master in the world. He wanted to get him something for Christmas," she paused.

"House-elves don't make money," Harry jumped in. "So he didn't have any to buy a gift."

"So, er, he decided to make one. He wanted to make him something special."

"A book," James suggested.

"A book?" Harry asked.

"Chibby wrote his master a book," Ginny said. "He wrote about his adventures as a house-elf. He was not a good writer as house-elves don't go to school, but the master loved the book anyway. It was his favorite gift that Christmas."

"Can Kweachaw wite me a book?" James asked.

"I don't know. You'll have to ask him," Ginny said. "Now, it's time to go to sleep. When you wake you'll have loads of gifts waiting for you."

"Yea! I go to sleep wight now!" James closed his eyes.

"Good boy." Ginny kissed his forehead again.

"Good night, James," Harry said.

"We love you," Ginny added.

"Love you, Mummy."

"Hey, what about me?"

"Love you, Daddy," he said faintly.

Harry closed the door after he and Ginny were in the hall when a small voice could be heard,

"Can I have a dwink of wataw?"

"Finally," Harry sighed sinking into the covers he pulled around himself.

"Is he asleep?" Ginny asked, turning to face her husband.

"I think so. I don't know what is with that boy."

"He's just excited. Tomorrow's Christmas. You remember what that was like when you were a kid."

"Ginny, I was raised by the Dursleys. For me, Christmas was like any other day."

"I'm sorry." She reached for his hands and kissed them both. "Well, you remember what Christmas was like when you were at Hogwarts."

"Yes."

"Multiply that by ten and you get the excitement level for a little boy."

Harry was sitting in the Great Hall waiting for the Opening Feast to begin. Dumbledore stood up and began to speak about how wonderful it was to see all the bright, shiny faces of the students before him. As he was speaking, his voice got higher and softer.

"Happy Christmas!" He exclaimed.

Harry blinked his eyes. Christmas? No. It was September 1st and he was sitting in the Great Hall with Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the Gryffindors. Wasn't he?

"Happy Christmas, Daddy!" Dumbledore said.

Daddy? Just when did the Headmaster call him _that_? Wait, wasn't he dead?

Harry blinked his eyes again and this time instead of staring back at Ron, who had been sitting across from him in the Great Hall, he stared into the green eyes of his young son, Albus.

"Goo' Mow'in'" Albus greeted his father while sitting on his chest.

Harry blinked his eyes again. He could barely make out the shape of his son's head. He reached for his glasses.

"That's better," he mumbled after putting them on.

"Let's open pwesents!" James said.

"Good morning, James," Harry said to his oldest child.

James looked at him sheepishly.

"Happy Chwistmas!" He cried leaping into the very small space between Harry and Ginny.

"Happy Christmas!" Ginny replied happily.

"Happy Chwistmas, Mummy!" James wrapped his arms as far as they would go around his mother. "Pwesents?"

"Shh," she ordered.

James and Albus became quiet as church mice.

"Yep," she said. "That's your sister."

Ginny climbed out of bed, wrapped her dressing gown around her and left the room.

Albus patted Harry's face.

"Up," he said.

Harry put his arms around Albus.

"Up!" Albus whined.

"Pwesents!" James exclaimed. "Mummy's up."

"Don't you like snuggling in bed with your parents?" Harry asked putting an arm around James and drawing him close.

"Pwesents!" James repeated.

"Being with you is the best present I could ask for," Harry said.

"No!" James whined.

"What? You don't like spending time with your dad?"

"I do," Albus said smiling.

"I do, too." Harry squeezed Albus bringing him closer to his chest.

"I like pwesents," James announced.

"Who needs presents when I have you two?"

"Me!" James shouted.

"Sh, you'll scare your sister," Ginny said placing Lily on the bed.

Lily crawled over to James and patted his shoulder.

"Aw, Lily loves you." Ginny sat back down in her spot.

"I love you, too, Lily. Now, let's open pwesents."

"Come!" Albus ordered.

"I'm happy right here. I have my lovely wife, my two gorgeous sons, and my beautiful daughter. What more could you want?"

"Pwesents!"


End file.
